> Scholarship change ensures well-rounded students
Scholarship change ensures well-rounded students
Contact:
Stephanie Greaves, Entrance scholarship coordinator, 604.268.6798, stephanie_greaves@sfu.ca
Related web site: http://students.sfu.ca/admission/entrancescholarships/
Stephanie Greaves, Entrance scholarship coordinator, 604.268.6798, stephanie_greaves@sfu.ca
Related web site: http://students.sfu.ca/admission/entrancescholarships/
March 6, 2007
Hundreds of top SFU students breathed a sigh of relief this week after registrar Kate Ross announced they will no longer have to achieve both a term grade point average (GPA) and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to remain eligible to receive their major scholarships.
The Senate policy committee on scholarships, awards, and bursaries ruled in February that effective with the Spring 2007 term, major entrance scholarship recipients will only be required to achieve a cumulative GPA average of 3.5 to meet the academic continuance requirement for third and subsequent disbursements of their SFU entrance scholarships.
The cumulative grade point average expresses performance as a numerical average for all semesters completed, and is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned to date by the total number of credit hours undertaken to date.
Each year, an adjudication committee awards dozens of major entrance scholarships worth between $24,000 and $34,000 to outstanding applicants nominated by high school counselors from across the country. In addition to having an extremely high grade point average, major scholarship winners also demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and community involvement.
Observes entrance scholarship coordinator Stephanie Greaves: “What we discovered is that these amazing students were finding it difficult to keep up their admirable levels of community service because they were having to work so hard at their studies to maintain their GPA each semester.
“With this change of policy, we are saying that we recognize some terms are more challenging than others, and also that there are times when our students may be more heavily involved in the wider community. We want to make sure we are delivering the flexibility and support they need to succeed in all of their endeavors during their time at SFU.”
The Senate policy committee on scholarships, awards, and bursaries ruled in February that effective with the Spring 2007 term, major entrance scholarship recipients will only be required to achieve a cumulative GPA average of 3.5 to meet the academic continuance requirement for third and subsequent disbursements of their SFU entrance scholarships.
The cumulative grade point average expresses performance as a numerical average for all semesters completed, and is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned to date by the total number of credit hours undertaken to date.
Each year, an adjudication committee awards dozens of major entrance scholarships worth between $24,000 and $34,000 to outstanding applicants nominated by high school counselors from across the country. In addition to having an extremely high grade point average, major scholarship winners also demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and community involvement.
Observes entrance scholarship coordinator Stephanie Greaves: “What we discovered is that these amazing students were finding it difficult to keep up their admirable levels of community service because they were having to work so hard at their studies to maintain their GPA each semester.
“With this change of policy, we are saying that we recognize some terms are more challenging than others, and also that there are times when our students may be more heavily involved in the wider community. We want to make sure we are delivering the flexibility and support they need to succeed in all of their endeavors during their time at SFU.”